Former U.S. Attorney takes over Harold Knowles' legal defense in federal bribery case

Harold Knowles is an attorney at Knowles & Randolph, one of the oldest black law firms in North Florida. He was one of the first students to integrate Leon County Schools. He is currently being investigated for federal bribery in Georgia.
Ashley White/Democrat

Tallahassee attorney Harold Knowles has switched attorneys in his federal bribery, conspiracy and money laundering case taking place in Georgia.

Former U.S. Attorney Pamela Marsh and James Judkins of the Ausley McMullen firm in Tallahassee filed papers this week to appear as counsel for Knowles.

Marsh also represents the city of Tallahassee in an FBI investigation of alleged corruption of Tallahassee officials that began before her resignation as U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Florida in September 2015.

The pair replaces Atlanta attorneys Richard H. Deane and Jamila Marjani Hall, who had been with Knowles since his Aug. 22 arraignment in Macon, Georgia, where he pleaded not guilty. The trial is set for Sept. 24.

Knowles was arrested Aug. 11 in Tallahassee and released on his own recognizance.

The indictment alleges Knowles, toward the end of 2012, approached Bibb County Schools Superintendent Romain Dallemand about getting school district construction projects for Pinnacle Construction Support Group Inc.

Knowles is co-owner of the Tallahassee construction company. He also is managing shareholder of Knowles & Randolph, North Florida's oldest black-owned law firm. The firm is not named in the indictment.

The indictment also alleges Knowles served as a "middleman" in paying $100,000 in bribe money to Dallemand, who left the superintendent's post in February 2013.

His former attorney, Jack McLean, of Tallahassee, told the Democrat that charges against Knowles are "false." McLean stepped down as Knowles’ attorney in October.

Since the arrest, Knowles resigned from his position as general counsel to the FAMU Foundation. Since then, the Housing Finance Authority of Leon County and the County Commission dropped their contracts with Knowles and Randolph, and he stepped down as attorney for the city of Gretna.

Contact Schweers at jschweers@tallahassee.com. Follow him on Twitter @jeffschweers.